The Hornets will be young and Hathaway expects to be juggling rotations into the regular season as he figures out roles and combinations. But there is more of a team-oriented vibe around this year’s group, which is a good start, and 11 freshmen joined the program. Some could make an instant impact.

They have good size and some capable shooters in Jack Sylvester, Nick Angelo and Tim Albert. James has expanded his game to become more of a perimeter threat as well.

Cole Morin will be the first freshman to crack the starting lineup but others will get some looks, too.

“We’re trying to figure out some things off the bench with some of the younger guys,” Hathaway said. “After the top six it’s a pretty fluid situation.”

The early schedule will be rugged with Mt. Ararat, Oxford Hills, Kennebunk and Brunswick. A win here or there coupled with consistently strong play could go a long ways toward bolstering their confidence.